4 Top-Performing Themes In Wine This Year, And 4 Other Ideas That Flopped

It’s December 31 and, like most of us, I’ve been reflecting on the past year and what it means for the year ahead.

When I consider this column, and writing about wine for a business-focused audience like Forbes, I’m curious to see which subjects and themes have resonated with readers this year and which, frankly, have not.

I’m mindful that there are significant factors that skew “clicks” and measurements of readership, from social media engagement to clickbait-y headlines to whether I’m writing about well-known regions or less sexy topics.

That said, here are some topics that fell short on the reader interest scale: wine recommendations tied to occasions like weeknight Wednesdays, travel-based recommendations for bars and restaurants, seasonal wine recommendations (such as Memorial Day weekend, heading into the summer), and systems of classification even when they’re new and important viticulturally.

I’ll be sure to keep these in mind as I plan my editorial calendar for 2019.

On the flip side, however, are the themes that do engage readers and this is what intrigues and excites me most, because most of these themes are of common interest to both the audience and to me personally. I want to dive deeper into each of these topics, and it’s assuring to see some evidence that there’s already an appetite for this type of content.

Here are four themes that we can expect to see more of in 2019, building on the traction they’ve already seen in 2018.

Miniature people climbing a champagne bottle with 2019 wooden blocks in the background

Getty

“Mansplaining” and Ethnic Diversity within the Industry

What more does the wine community need to know about African American consumers? That was the question I asked for an article earlier this year, generally speaking and also specifically to wine writer Julia Coney, and responses rung a bell. It would be more accurate to say that the bell that was rung is resonating still, because responses provided at least a starting point for conversations on the topic that weren't yet happening: from why there are no black people in wine ads, to implicit bias about consumers in a shop or restaurant, to taking down the level of condescension, to becoming more familiar with cultural currency within the black community.

Government, Washington DC, Taxes

It's impossible to avoid the impact that the current administration in Washington DC is having on the wine industry, and two articles in particular took the pulse of that. The first addressed how the Trump effect is being felt in México, that considered the consequences of disrespectful rhetoric toward Mexicans and a concurrent boom of interest in wine domestically. The second article, from earlier in the year, looked at a tax code change that meant money in wineries' pockets, yet most wineries didn't even know about it.

Drill Downs into Specific Grapes

California chardonnay, I get. Old vine zinfandel, I get. They're both tremendously popular among US consumers and I wrote about them in easily-digestible and scannable terms of "three controversial suggestions" and "six reasons to love." But petit verdot from Virginia? Let's call it a wild card; even the title of the article (How to Market Wine No One's Heard Of) is a tip-off. If it's a wild card, though, I'd consider it one that bodes well because, as I wrote then, a lack of familiarity with the grape didn't tamper enthusiasm to try it out.

BONUS: Elaine Brown, a colleague and friend who is a US specialist for JancisRobinson.com, has written a four-part series on "The Story of California Chardonnay," which was released in full last week as a free-to-read holiday present for readers. Please check it out, starting with Part One.

Investing in Wine

It is, perhaps, not such a surprise that Forbes readers would be interested to know about investing in wine. The twist on the topic in this article, however, was the disruptive business model and the "bold" ideas of paying farmers first and prioritizing inclusion. RedHen Collective founder Molly Madden spoke about "bending" the execution of a familiar practice, in this case building a regenerative pool of credit so that farmers can be paid first.

“It’s about recognizing that we’re all on this train, and engaging it differently,” Madden said. “Let’s decide to be in the driver’s seat about it.”